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F1 Driver Luca Badoer

Italian Test Driver for Ferrari Grand Prix Team

Dec 12, 2008 Kevin Guthrie

Luca Badoer is held in high regard by Ferrari for his testing abilities. With a little more luck he may also have proved to be a successful Formula 1 racing driver.

Luca Badoer has established himself as Ferrari’s preferred test driver for their Formula 1 cars. Despite never having the opportunity to race for the great Italian team Badoer does have considerable Grand Prix experience.

Italian Karting Champion and Formula 3

Badoer was born on January 25th, 1971, in Montebelluna, situated in the north east of Italy. As a teenager he excelled in karting, claiming the Italian title among other honours. By 1989 he was driving in Formula 3 and scored his maiden victory in the category the following season. 1991 looked like being a successful year for Badoer but he had several wins taken away due to a technical infringement.

Formula 3000 Champion and Formula 1 with Scuderia Italia

There was no such disappointment in 1992, when Badoer drove superbly to claim the Formula 3000 title driving for Team Crypton. His efforts earned him a Formula 1 drive in 1993 with the BMS Scuderia Italia team. Despite having engines from Ferrari and a chassis built by Lola the cars proved to be lamentably slow. Badoer was teamed with the veteran Italian Michele Alboreto, and it was the latter that retained a race seat for 1994 when the team became part of Minardi.

Formula 1 with Minardi and Forti Corse

After serving as a test driver for Minardi during 1994 Badoer was promoted to a race seat for 1995. Despite operating on a shoestring budget Badoer put in some impressive performances for the team, the highlights being eighth place finishes in Canada and Hungary. For 1996 Badoer signed with Forti Corse, but the car was hopelessly uncompetitive. The team folded before the end of the season, and Badoer was left in the Formula 1 wilderness.

It was 1999 before Badoer was seen again on a Formula 1 grid, once again driving for Minardi. In the European Grand Prix he was running in an incredible fourth position near the end of the race when the car broke down. Images of Badoer crying inconsolably next to his stricken Minardi were broadcast around the world. It was the closest he would come to scoring world championship points during his career.

Badoer became a Ferrari test driver in 1997. After Michael Schumacher’s leg-breaking shunt at the 1999 British Grand Prix he seemed the obvious replacement, but the drive ultimately went to Mika Salo. Despite his obvious disappointment Badoer continued to work for Ferrari and went on to become an intrinsic part of their multiple world championship victories.

The copyright of the article F1 Driver Luca Badoer in Auto Racing is owned by Kevin Guthrie. Permission to republish F1 Driver Luca Badoer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Luca Badoer testing for Ferrari